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262 INFORMATION NOTE
on the Court’s case-law
May
2022 NOTE D’INFORMATION
Mai sur la jurisprudence de la Cour
The Court’s monthly Le panorama mensuel European Court of Human Rights
round-up of case-law de la jurisprudence
de la Cour Cour européenne des droits de l’hommeThe Information Note contains legal summaries of the cases examined during the month in question which the Registry considers to be
of particular interest. The summaries are drafted by lawyers under the authority of the Jurisconsult and are not binding on the Court. They
are normally drafted in the language of the case concerned. The translation of the legal summaries into the other official language can
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Legal summaries published in the Case-Law Information Notes are also available in HUDOC, under “Legal Summaries” in the Document
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communicated cases, advisory opinions and legal summaries from the Case-Law Information Note) and of the former European
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An annual index provides an overview of the cases that have been summarised in the monthly Information Notes. The annual index is
cumulative; it is regularly updated.
-ooOoo-
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Court of Human Rights, 2022 des droits de l’homme, 2022Information Note 262 – May 2022 ◄ ECHR/CEDH ► Note d’information 262 – Mai 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS / TABLE DES MATIÈRES
ARTICLE 3
Inhuman or degrading treatment/Traitement inhumain ou dégradant
• Applicability to “feminising” medical procedures carried out on an intersex person during childhood, without
the person’s knowledge or consent: question left open
• Applicabilité aux actes médicaux de féminisation, réalisés sur une personne intersexuée durant son enfance,
sans sa connaissance et son consentement : question laissée ouverte
M – France, 42821/18, Decision/Décision 26.4.2022 [Section V]............................................................................................. 6
Positive obligations (substantive aspect)/Obligations positives (volet matériel)
Effective investigation/Enquête effective
• Failure to protect LGBT bar owner and activist from homophobic arson, physical and verbal attacks and to
carry out effective investigation: violation
• Absence de protection de la propriétaire d’un bar militante LGBT contre un incendie criminel et des
agressions physiques et verbales homophobes, et absence d’enquête effective : violation
Oganezova – Armenia/Arménie, 71367/12 and/et 72961/12, Judgment/Arrêt 17.5.2022 [Section IV]....................... 7
ARTICLE 6
Article 6 § 1 (criminal/pénal)
Access to court/Accès à un tribunal
• Limitation period invoked in response to a criminal complaint by an intersex person concerning feminising
medical procedures carried out during childhood, where other remedies were still available: inadmissible
• Prescription opposée à la plainte pénale d’une personne intersexuée pour des actes médicaux de
féminisation, réalisés durant son enfance, d’autres voies de recours restant ouvertes : irrecevable
M – France, 42821/18, Decision/Décision 26.4.2022 [Section V]............................................................................................. 7
Fair hearing/Procès équitable
• Fairness of conviction of membership of the Fetullahist terrorist organisation mainly on the basis of purported
use of encrypted messaging application: relinquishment in favour of the Grand Chamber
• Équité d’une condamnation pour appartenance à l’Organisation terroriste fetullahiste prononcée principale-
ment à raison de l’utilisation prétendument faite d’une application de messagerie cryptée : dessaisissement
au profit de la Grande Chambre
Yalçinkaya – Turkey/Turquie, 15669/20.......................................................................................................................................... 7
Article 6 § 1 (constitutional/constitutionnel)
Access to court/Accès à un tribunal
• Disproportionate refusal to award costs for complaint before Constitutional Court concerning applicant’s
divestment of legal capacity: violation
• Rejet disproportionné d’une demande de remboursement des dépens dans un recours devant la Cour
constitutionnelle concernant une privation de capacité juridique : violation
Dragan Kovačević – Croatia/Croatie, 49281/15, Judgment/Arrêt 12.5.2022 [Section I]................................................... 8
ARTICLE 10
Freedom of expression/Liberté d’expression
• Activist fined for a short and peaceful gathering, without prior notice, with three other persons, who
handcuffed themselves to a government car park barrier, in protest against a mining project: violation
• Activiste condamné à une amende pour avoir organisé un bref rassemblement pacifique sans déclaration
préalable et s’être menotté, ainsi que trois autres personnes, à la barrière du parking d’un bâtiment public
pour protester contre un projet minier : violation
Bumbeş – Romania/Roumanie, 18079/15, Judgment/Arrêt 4.5.2022 [Section IV]............................................................ 9
3Information Note 262 – May 2022 ◄ ECHR/CEDH ► Note d’information 262 – Mai 2022
• Justified civil defamation award, after former President’s statement that an advocate needed psychiatric
treatment for implicating him in a criminal complaint: no violation
• Condamnation justifiée au civil pour diffamation en ce qui concerne les propos tenus par l’ex-président selon
lesquels un avocat avait besoin de soins psychiatriques pour l’avoir dénoncé dans une plainte au pénal :
non-violation
Mesić – Croatia/Croatie, 19362/18, Judgment/Arrêt 5.5.2022 [Section I]...........................................................................11
ARTICLE 11
Freedom of association/Liberté d’association
• Criminal conviction of trade union representative, for refusing to admit would-be members to join, not
necessary in a democratic society: violation
• Caractère non nécessaire dans une société démocratique de la condamnation pénale d’un représentant
syndical pour rejet de demandes d’adhésion : violation
Vlahov – Croatia/Croatie, 31163/13, Judgment/Arrêt 5.5.2022 [Section I]........................................................................13
• Refusal to authorise a political party to hold a congress in various towns, on the grounds that it had insufficient
local branches, as a precondition for being able to put up candidates in parliamentary elections: no violation
• Refus d’autoriser un parti politique à tenir un congrès dans des villes, faute d’y avoir des structures locales
suffisantes, pour pouvoir se présenter aux élections législatives : non-violation
Yeşiller ve Sol Gelecek Partisi – Turkey/Turquie, 41955/14, Judgment/Arrêt 10.5.2022 [Section II]..............................14
ARTICLE 13
Effective remedy/Recours effectif
• Ineffective domestic judicial remedies for complaints as to inadequate conditions of detention: violation
• Ineffectivité des recours judiciaires internes pour se plaindre des conditions de détention : violation
Volodya Avetisyan – Armenia/Arménie, 39087/15, Judgment/Arrêt 3.5.2022 [Section IV]...........................................15
ARTICLE 14
Discrimination (Article 3)
• Failure to protect LGBT bar owner and activist from homophobic arson, physical and verbal attacks and to
carry out effective investigation: violation
• Absence de protection de la propriétaire d’un bar militante LGBT contre un incendie criminel et des
agressions physiques et verbales homophobes, et absence d’enquête effective : violation
Oganezova – Armenia/Arménie, 71367/12 and/et 72961/12, Judgment/Arrêt 17.5.2022 [Section IV].....................16
Discrimination (Article 8)
• Revocable and reviewable order prohibiting a Jehovah’s Witness from actively involving his young child,
brought up in Catholicism, in his religious practice: no violation
• Ordonnance révisable et révocable interdisant à un témoin de Jéhovah de faire participer activement sa
jeune enfant, élevée dans la foi catholique, à ses pratiques religieuses : non‑violation
T.C. – Italy/Italie, 54032/18, Judgment/Arrêt 19.5.2022 [Section I].......................................................................................18
• No discrimination against wheelchair user unable to access two local public buildings, given other
considerable measures to improve accessibility: no violation
• Pas de discrimination envers une personne en fauteuil roulant dans l’impossibilité d’accéder à deux bâtiments
gérés par l’administration locale, compte tenu des autres mesures importantes prises par cette dernière pour
améliorer l’accessibilité : non-violation
Arnar Helgi Lárusson – Iceland/Islande, 23077/19, Judgment/Arrêt 31.5.2022 [Section III]..........................................19
ARTICLE 46
Execution of judgment – Individual measures/Exécution de l’arrêt – Mesures individuelles
• Respondent state required to take desegregation measures in an elementary school attended almost
exclusively by Roma and Egyptian children
• État défendeur tenu de prendre des mesures d’abolition de la ségrégation dans une école primaire fréquentée
presque exclusivement par des enfants roms et égyptiens
X and Others/et autres – Albania/Albanie, 73548/17 and/et 45521/19, Judgment/Arrêt 31.5.2022 [Section III]....21
4Information Note 262 – May 2022 ◄ ECHR/CEDH ► Note d’information 262 – Mai 2022
ARTICLE 1 OF PROTOCOL No. 12/DU PROTOCOLE N° 12
General prohibition of discrimination/Interdiction générale de la discrimination
• Failure to implement swift and comprehensive desegregation measures in an elementary school attended
almost exclusively by Roma and Egyptian children: violation
• Absence de mise en œuvre de mesures rapides et complètes d’abolition de la ségrégation dans une école
primaire fréquentée presque exclusivement par des enfants roms et égyptiens : violation
X and Others/et autres – Albania/Albanie, 73548/17 and/et 45521/19, Judgment/Arrêt
31.5.2022 [Section III].........................................................................................................................................................................21
GRAND CHAMBER (PENDING)/GRANDE CHAMBRE (EN COURS)
Relinquishments/Dessaisissements..................................................................................................................................................................22
RECENT PUBLICATIONS/PUBLICATIONS RÉCENTES
Publications in non-official languages/Publications en langues non officielles.........................................................................22
5Information Note 262 – May 2022 ◄ ECHR/CEDH ► Note d’information 262 – Mai 2022
ARTICLE 3 enquête officielle et effective quant à ces faits, et
dénonce un manquement de l’État à son obligation
de prendre des mesures effectives de protection
Inhuman or degrading treatment/ contre les mauvais traitements infligés par autrui.
Traitement inhumain ou dégradant
Invoquant l’article 6 § 1 de la Convention, elle sou-
Applicability to “feminising” medical procedures tient que le refus d’informer opposé à sa plainte
carried out on an intersex person during child avec constitution de partie civile est constitutif
hood, without the person’s knowledge or consent: d’une violation de son droit d’accès à un tribunal.
question left open
En droit – Article 3
Applicabilité aux actes médicaux de féminisation,
réalisés sur une personne intersexuée durant son a) Applicabilité – Les affaires qui concernent des
enfance, sans sa connaissance et son consente interventions médicales peuvent aussi être exami-
ment : question laissée ouverte nées sous l’angle de l’article 8 de la Convention, y
compris lorsque les requérants soutiennent que les
M – France, 42821/18, Decision/Décision 26.4.2022 interventions médicales litigieuses ont été réalisées
[Section V] sans le consentement du patient.
English translation of the summary – Version imprimable Pour tomber sous le coup de l’article 3, qui est la
disposition sur laquelle se fonde la requérante, un
En fait – La requérante, née en 1977, est une per-
mauvais traitement doit atteindre un minimum
sonne intersexuée ayant subi durant son enfance
de gravité. L’appréciation de ce minimum est rela-
et son adolescence des opérations chirurgicales et
tive ; elle dépend de l’ensemble des données de la
des traitements médicaux de féminisation. Elle in-
cause, notamment de la durée du traitement et de
dique qu’ils lui ont causé de graves troubles psy-
ses effets physiques ou mentaux ainsi que, parfois,
chologiques et psychiatriques, et la reconnaissance
du sexe, de l’âge et de l’état de santé de la victime,
du statut de travailleur handicapé, qu’elle vit dès
et de sa situation de vulnérabilité. Si l’intention de
lors de l’allocation qu’elle perçoit à ce titre, demeure
blesser, d’humilier ou de rabaisser la victime est en
dans l’impossibilité de trouver un emploi stable
principe requise pour qu’un traitement relève de
et rencontre des difficultés d’insertion sociale et
l’article 3, l’absence d’une telle intention ne l’exclut
économique.
pas de façon définitive.
La requérante souligne que ses parents n’ont reçu
Un acte de nature médicale réalisé sans nécessité
qu’une information incomplète et fallacieuse au
thérapeutique et sans le consentement éclairé de
moment de sa naissance et lors de sa prise en
la personne qui en est l’objet est susceptible de
charge, que la décision de la « féminiser » a été
constituer un mauvais traitement au sens de l’ar-
prise alors qu’elle était trop jeune pour consentir
ticle 3. S’agissant du premier point, une mesure
et qu’elle n’a pas, par la suite, été informée du but
dictée par une nécessité thérapeutique selon les
des traitements qui lui ont été administrés. Elle n’en
conceptions médicales établies ne saurait en prin-
aurait eu connaissance qu’en 2000, à l’occasion de
cipe passer pour inhumaine ou dégradante. La
l’interception d’un courrier. Mais ce ne serait qu’en
nécessité médicale doit alors être démontrée de
2014 qu’un professionnel ne lui aurait pas caché le
manière convaincante. S’agissant du second point,
sens de son état et le but des opérations.
dans le domaine de l’assistance médicale, même
En novembre 2015, la requérante déposa une lorsque le refus d’accepter un traitement particu-
plainte contre X avec constitution de partie civile lier risque d’entraîner une issue fatale, l’imposition
au tribunal de grande instance pour dénoncer les d’un traitement médical sans le consentement du
violences subies. Mais le juge d’instruction refusa patient s’il est adulte et sain d’esprit s’analyse en
d’informer car le délai de prescription de l’action une atteinte au droit à l’intégrité physique de l’in-
publique était dépassé depuis novembre 2005, soit téressé. Si le patient est mineur, le consentement
dix années à compter de la majorité de la victime. éclairé de son représentant légal doit être recueilli.
La requérante fit valoir sans succès que, faute La stérilisation d’une personne pratiquée sans fina-
d’avoir été dûment informée par les médecins lité thérapeutique et sans son consentement éclai-
l’ayant prise en charge, il existait un « obstacle in- ré est ainsi en principe incompatible avec le respect
surmontable à l’exercice des poursuites », jusqu’à de la liberté et de la dignité de l’homme et consti-
l’interception de la lettre en 2000, de sorte que le tutive d’un traitement contraire à l’article 3. Il en va
point de départ du délai de prescription était sus- de même des mutilations génitales.
pendu et reporté à cette date.
La Cour réserve la question de savoir si, au regard
Invoquant l’article 3 de la Convention, la requé- des considérations qui précèdent, les actes médi-
rante se plaint de ce qu’elle n’a pas bénéficié d’une caux de conformation sexuelle qui sont en litige
6 Article 3Information Note 262 – May 2022 ◄ ECHR/CEDH ► Note d’information 262 – Mai 2022
sont susceptibles, dans les circonstances de l’es- (See Article 14 below/Voir l’article 14 ci-dessous,
pèce, de relever de l’article 3, dès lors que le grief page 16)
tiré de cette disposition est en tout état de cause
irrecevable pour défaut d’épuisement des voies de
recours internes. ARTICLE 6
b) Épuisement des voies de recours internes – La
requérante n’a pas, ne serait-ce qu’en substance,
Article 6 § 1 (criminal/pénal)
préalablement saisi la Cour de cassation du grief
qu’elle tire de l’article 3 de la Convention.
Access to court/Accès à un tribunal
Conclusion : irrecevable (non-épuisement des voies
de recours internes). Limitation period invoked in response to
Article 6 : La voie d’une action en responsabilité ci- a criminal complaint by an intersex person
vile n’était pas fermée lorsque la requérante a opté concerning feminising medical procedures
pour la plainte avec constitution de partie civile carried out during childhood, where other
devant la doyenne des juges d’instruction, l’action remedies were still available: inadmissible
en responsabilité civile se prescrivant par dix ans Prescription opposée à la plainte pénale d’une
à compter de la consolidation du dommage cor- personne intersexuée pour des actes médicaux de
porel dénoncé, ce délai passant à 20 ans en cas de féminisation, réalisés durant son enfance, d’autres
dommage causé par, notamment, des tortures ou voies de recours restant ouvertes : irrecevable
des actes de barbarie, ou des violences commises
contre un mineur, ce qui correspond à ce dont se M – France, 42821/18, Decision/Décision 26.4.2022
plaint la requérante. Or celle-ci fait elle-même valoir [Section V]
dans ses écritures devant la Cour que le dommage
qu’elle dénonce n’est pas consolidé à ce jour. Par ail- (See Article 3 above/Voir l’article 3 ci-dessus,
leurs, il ressort des observations du Gouvernement page 6)
que la possibilité de saisir la juridiction administra-
tive d’une action en responsabilité dirigée contre Fair hearing/Procès équitable
l’hôpital public restait ouverte à la requérante.
On ne peut donc considérer que la requérante s’est Fairness of conviction of membership of the
vu priver, du seul fait qu’un refus de poursuivre l’in- Fetullahist terrorist organisation mainly on the
basis of purported use of encrypted messaging
formation judiciaire a été opposé à sa plainte avec
application: relinquishment in favour of the Grand
constitution de partie civile, de l’accès à un tribunal
Chamber
pour faire statuer sur ses droits de caractère civil.
Conclusion : irrecevable (défaut manifeste de fon- Équité d’une condamnation pour appartenance à
dement). l’Organisation terroriste fetullahiste prononcée
principalement à raison de l’utilisation préten
(Voir aussi V.C. c. Slovaquie, 18968/07, 8 novembre dument faite d’une application de messagerie
2011, Résumé juridique ; ES c. France (déc.), 59345/11, cryptée : dessaisissement au profit de la Grande
7 avril 2015 ; et Sow c. Belgique, 27081/13, 19 janvier Chambre
2016)
Yalçinkaya – Turkey/Turquie, 15669/20
Positive obligations (substantive aspect)/ Traduction française du résumé – Printable version
Obligations positives (volet matériel)
Effective investigation/Enquête effective The applicant, a teacher at a public school, was
convicted of membership of the terrorist “Fetulla-
Failure to protect LGBT bar owner and activist hist Terrorist Organisation/Parallel State Structure”
from homophobic arson, physical and verbal (FETÖ/PDY), which was considered by the domes-
attacks and to carry out effective investigation: tic authorities to be behind the attempted coup
violation of 15 July 2016. His conviction was mainly on the
Absence de protection de la propriétaire d’un bar basis of evidence indicating his use of Bylock, an
militante LGBT contre un incendie criminel et des encrypted messaging application, which had been
agressions physiques et verbales homophobes, et accessed by the National Intelligence Agency of
absence d’enquête effective : violation Turkey as part of its intelligence activities to gather
information on FETÖ/PDY. The applicant was sen-
Oganezova – Armenia/Arménie, 71367/12 and/et tenced to six years and three months’ imprison-
72961/12, Judgment/Arrêt 17.5.2022 [Section IV] ment. He unsuccessfully appealed.
Article 6 7Information Note 262 – May 2022 ◄ ECHR/CEDH ► Note d’information 262 – Mai 2022
The applicant complains under Article 6 §§ 1 and 3 tution of proceedings by relevant authorities be-
that (i) he was not tried by independent and impar- fore the domestic civil courts. The applicant made
tial tribunals; (ii) he was convicted on the basis of a constitutional complaint to the Constitutional
evidence unlawfully obtained by the National Intel- Court, which quashed the civil courts’ decisions but
ligence Agency in disregard of the procedural safe- dismissed his claim for reimbursement of costs. The
guards set out in the Code of Criminal Procedure ruling on costs was based on a domestic law provi-
and without a court order; (iii) the unlawfully ob- sion providing that each participant in proceedings
tained evidence in question was assessed arbitrar- before the Constitutional Court has to bear its own
ily and was not made available to his examination, costs unless the court decides otherwise.
nor was it subjected to direct and independent ex-
Law – Article 6 § 1
amination by the domestic courts, and the courts
had relied exclusively on the unilateral assessment (a) As to whether there was a restriction of the appli-
of the prosecution and other public officials on cant’s right of access to a court – A rule that a partici-
that evidence, in violation of the principle of equal- pant in proceedings before the court has to bear its
ity of arms and adversarial proceedings; (iv) the own costs, unless the court decides otherwise, could
objections and requests that he made before the not be regarded as incompatible per se with Article
appeal court and the Court of Cassation, within 6 § 1. The Court needed to ascertain in the present
the framework of his right to adversarial proceed- case whether the effects of the application of the
ings, equality of arms and right to a fair trial, were rule in question were compatible with Article 6 § 1.
ignored by those courts in judgments that lacked The cost of drafting a constitutional complaint
any reasoning; and (v) he was denied the right to (equivalent to EUR 815) had been more than the
effective legal assistance. The applicant further average salary in Croatia at the time. It had thus
complains under Article 7 that he was convicted on constituted a significant financial burden even for
the basis of acts that did not constitute a crime and the average citizen, let alone the applicant whose
in the absence of the requisite mens rea, which sug- monthly income had consisted of the equivalent of
gested an extensive and arbitrary interpretation EUR 164 in disability benefits.
of the relevant laws. Lastly, invoking Articles 8 and
11, the applicant complains that both the informa- Having regard to the Court’s case-law and to the
tion concerning his alleged use of ByLock, and his applicant’s particular situation, the Constitutional
internet traffic data, was retained and used unlaw- Court’s refusal to award the applicant the costs of
fully in violation of his right to private life, and that his constitutional complaint had thus constituted a
membership of a trade union and association was restriction of his right of access to court.
used as evidence for his conviction in violation of (b) As to whether the restriction pursued a legitimate
his right to freedom of association. aim – Although constitutional rights are those
On 3 May 2022 a Chamber of the Court relinquished which individuals and private legal entities have
jurisdiction in favour of the Grand Chamber. against the State and other public entities, pro-
ceedings before the Croatian Constitutional Court
initiated by a constitutional complaint were for-
Article 6 § 1 (constitutional/ mally one-party proceedings. Those intending to
constitutionnel) lodge constitutional complaints thus did not run
the risk, normally present in civil proceedings, that,
Access to court/Accès à un tribunal if unsuccessful, they would have to bear not only
their own costs but reimburse the costs of the op-
Disproportionate refusal to award costs for posing party. That absence of such a risk, together
complaint before Constitutional Court concerning with the absence of an obligation to pay court fees
applicant’s divestment of legal capacity: violation in proceedings before the Constitutional Court,
might thus result in that court becoming overbur-
Rejet disproportionné d’une demande de dened with a large number of unmeritorious con-
remboursement des dépens dans un recours stitutional complaints, which could jeopardise its
devant la Cour constitutionnelle concernant une proper functioning.
privation de capacité juridique : violation
The Court was therefore willing to accept that the
Dragan Kovačević – Croatia/Croatie, 49281/15, aim behind the rule, on which the decision on costs
Judgment/Arrêt 12.5.2022 [Section I] had been based in the present case, had been to
secure that court’s smooth functioning, and to pro-
Traduction française du résumé – Printable version tect the State budget.
Facts – The applicant, who has a mental disability, Nevertheless, the impugned provision allowed the
was divested of his legal capacity after the insti- Constitutional Court to make an exception. That
8 Article 6Information Note 262 – May 2022 ◄ ECHR/CEDH ► Note d’information 262 – Mai 2022
exception not only provided a necessary flexibility, Lastly, in the circumstances of the present case, the
but also suggested that, in certain cases, applica- Constitutional Court had been required to provide
tion of the default rule might not be justified by the reasons for its decision on costs rather than merely
identified legitimate aims. using the same wording as in the relevant domes-
tic law provision. However, it had not given any
(c) As to whether the restriction was proportion-
meaningful reasons for its decision.
ate – The proceedings before the Constitutional
Court had been of existential importance for the Overall, in the specific circumstances of the present
applicant, as the impugned decisions of the civil case, the restriction of the applicant’s right of ac-
courts had deprived him of his legal capacity. In cess to a court had not been justified by the legiti-
that regard, the applicant was a person suffering mate aims pursued.
from a mental disability and therefore had to be
Conclusion: violation (five votes to two).
legally represented to effectively protect his rights,
it being understood that the assistance of an advo- Article 41: EUR 815 in respect of pecuniary damage;
cate before the Constitutional Court could not be EUR 3,000 in respect of non-pecuniary damage.
seen as unnecessary even for non-vulnerable in-
dividuals, because that court decided on complex
issues which, for any lay person, might be difficult ARTICLE 10
to grasp (see Bibić v. Croatia, 1620/10, 28 January
2014). Freedom of expression/Liberté
The Court also referred to its finding that the costs d’expression
of the constitutional complaint had constituted
a significant financial burden even for an average Activist fined for a short and peaceful gathering,
without prior notice, with three other persons,
citizen, let alone for a person of low income like the
who handcuffed themselves to a government car
applicant.
park barrier, in protest against a mining project:
Furthermore, the domestic law had not provided violation
for the possibility of obtaining legal aid in proceed-
ings before the Constitutional Court. In any event, Activiste condamné à une amende pour avoir
organisé un bref rassemblement pacifique sans
legal aid was not an individual right and not an
déclaration préalable et s’être menotté, ainsi que
obligation that had to be exercised, and it should
trois autres personnes, à la barrière du parking
not prevent applicants from choosing to be repre- d’un bâtiment public pour protester contre un
sented by an advocate (see Černius and Rinkevičius projet minier : violation
v. Lithuania, 73579/17 and 14620/18, 18 February
2020). Lastly, having regard to the identified legiti- Bumbeş – Romania/Roumanie, 18079/15,
mate aims, there was no difference between the Judgment/Arrêt 4.5.2022 [Section IV]
State advancing the costs of the applicant’s legal
representation through a legal aid scheme or reim- Traduction française du résumé – Printable version
bursing them afterwards because he had succeed-
Facts – The applicant, a known activist involved in
ed with his constitutional complaint.
various civic actions, was fined with three other
The Court was mindful that social services were persons for handcuffing themselves to a car park
often faced with difficult and delicate decisions, barrier blocking access to the government’s head-
especially when, as in the present case, they had to quarters and holding up signs, without having
decide whether to initiate the relevant proceedings given the required prior-notification, in protest of a
to deprive a person with a mental disability of the controversial mining project. The applicant unsuc-
capacity to act. They might adopt a more defensive cessfully challenged the fine before the domestic
approach to their duties if, each time the judicial courts.
authorities did not agree with their initiative, they
Law – Article 10 in light of Article 11
had to pay the costs of the proceedings to the coun-
terparty. However, as indicated, proceedings before (a) Applicability – Both Articles 10 and 11 were
the Croatian Constitutional Court initiated by a con- applicable. In particular, in the circumstances of
stitutional complaint were formally one-party pro- the case the Court could not accept that the pen-
ceedings. Any costs awarded would not therefore alty imposed on the applicant could be dissociated
have been paid by social services, which had not from the views expressed by him through his ac-
been a participant in the proceedings. In the pre- tions or endorse the Government’s argument that
sent case, therefore, there had been no risk that the the applicant had been punished merely for com-
award of costs would have had a chilling effect on mitting acts affecting public order. In this connec-
social services in the performance of their duties. tion, the Court noted that it had consistently found
Article 10 9Information Note 262 – May 2022 ◄ ECHR/CEDH ► Note d’information 262 – Mai 2022
Article 10 to be applicable to views or opinions ex- marily within the ambit of the regulations concern-
pressed through conduct. In so far as Article 11 was ing public events requiring prior notification and
concerned, it transpired from the evidence that the the exercise of one’s right to freedom of peaceful
applicant’s conduct had not amounted to violence assembly. The Court thus referred to the principles
or incitement to it, no one had been injured during established in its case-law in the context of Arti-
the event in question and he had not been held li- cle 11 concerning, in particular, the rules governing
able for any damage. public assemblies such as the system of prior no-
tification and the degree of tolerance that had to
(b) Scope of the Court’s assessment – Given that
be shown by public authorities towards peaceful
the thrust of the applicant’s complaint was that he
gatherings.
had been punished for protesting, together with
other participants in the non-violent direct action, When dismissing the applicant’s challenge against
against the government’s policies, the Court was the police report and the fine imposed on him, the
persuaded that the event had constituted predom- national courts had not assessed the level of dis-
inantly an expression. This was all the more so since turbance his actions had caused, if any. They had
it had involved only four persons and lasted a very not sought to strike a balance between the require-
short time. Moreover, as it had been the result of a ments of the purposes listed in Article 11 § 2 on the
rather spontaneous decision and lacked any prior one hand, and those of the free expression of opin-
advertisement, it was difficult to conceive that such ions by word, gesture or even silence by persons
an event could have generated the presence of fur- assembled on the streets or in other public places,
ther participants or the gathering of a significant on the other, giving the preponderant weight to
crowd warranting specific measures on the part of the formal unlawfulness of the event in question.
the authorities. The Court therefore found it appro- The national courts’ assertion of a prior notification
priate to examine the case under Article 10, inter- of the event staged by the applicant being required
preted in the light of Article 11. had not been accompanied by any apparent con-
sideration of the fact whether, given the number
(c) Merits – The applicant’s sanctioning had consti-
of participants, such a notification would have
tuted an interference with his right to freedom of
served the purpose of enabling the authorities to
expression which had a legal basis in domestic law.
take necessary measures in order to guarantee the
The Court also accepted that the sanction imposed
smooth conduct of the event. Further, the applica-
could have been aimed at the prevention of dis-
tion of that rule to expressions – rather than only
order and at the protection of the rights and free-
to assemblies – would create a prior restraint which
doms of others; hence it proceeded on the assump-
was incompatible with the free communication of
tion that it had pursued those legitimate aims.
ideas and might undermine freedom of expression.
As to whether the interference had been neces-
The authorities’ impugned actions had disregard-
sary in a democratic society, the Court observed
ed the emphasis repeatedly placed by the Court
that the applicant and the other participants in the
on the fact that the enforcement of rules govern-
event had wished to draw the attention of their fel-
ing public assemblies should not become an end
low citizens and public officials to their disapproval
in itself. The absence of prior notification and the
of the government’s policies concerning the min-
ensuing “unlawfulness” of the event, which the
ing project. This was a topic of public interest and
authorities considered to be an assembly, did not
contributed to the ongoing debate in society about
give carte blanche to the authorities; the domes-
the impact of this project and the exercise of gov-
tic authorities’ reaction to a public event remained
ernmental and political powers green-lighting it. In
restricted by the proportionality and necessity re-
this connection, the Court reiterated that there was
quirements of Article 11.
little scope under Article 10 § 2 for restrictions on
political speech or debates on questions of public Finally, although the fine imposed had been the
interest and very strong reasons were required for minimum statutory amount envisaged for the im-
justifying such restrictions. pugned contravention and the applicant had not
argued or submitted evidence that paying the fine
In the present case, the protest action had taken
had been beyond his financial means, the impo-
place in a square freely open to the public. It had
sition of a sanction, administrative or otherwise,
been terminated swiftly by the law-enforcement
however lenient, on the author of an expression
officials and the applicant, with the other partici-
which qualified as political could have an undesir-
pants, had been taken to a police station where
able chilling effect on public speech.
they were fined after having been given hardly any
time to express their views. The domestic courts In the light of the above, the decision to restrict the
seemed to have dealt with the situation arising applicant’s freedom of expression had not been
from the applicant’s protest as a matter falling pri- supported by reasons which had been relevant
10 Article 10Information Note 262 – May 2022 ◄ ECHR/CEDH ► Note d’information 262 – Mai 2022
and sufficient for the purposes of the test of “neces- of expression. It had been prescribed by law and
sity” under Article 10 § 2. The interference had thus had pursued the legitimate aim of protecting the
been not necessary in a democratic society within reputation or rights of others. The Court therefore
the meaning of Article 10. had to determine whether it had been “necessary
in a democratic society”.
Conclusion: violation (unanimously).
Article 41: EUR 117 in respect of pecuniary damage The applicant’s statement – that Mr Jurašinović need-
corresponding to the amount of the fine imposed ed psychiatric treatment – had reached the level of
on the applicant and EUR 5,000 in respect of non- seriousness capable of bringing Mr Jurašinović’s
pecuniary damage. rights under Article 8 into play. The applicant had
made that statement when he had been the State
(See also Tatár and Fáber v. Hungary, 26005/08 President, and it had been widely distributed by
and 26160/08, 12 June 2012, Legal Summary; various media outlets. Regardless of whether it had
Kudrevičius and Others v. Lithuania [GC], 37553/05, to be understood literally or metaphorically, it had
15 October 2015, Legal Summary; Novikova and not only been capable of tarnishing Mr Jurašinović’s
Others v. Russia, 25501/07 et al., 26 April 2016, Legal reputation, but also of fomenting prejudice against
Summary) him in his professional and social environments. By
way of observation, the Court also considered that
Freedom of expression/Liberté referring to a need of psychiatric treatment and
d’expression using it as an insult was disrespectful of persons
with mental health issues.
Justified civil defamation award, after former
President’s statement that an advocate needed In cases concerning a conflict between the right to
psychiatric treatment for implicating him in a reputation and the right to freedom of expression,
criminal complaint: no violation domestic courts hearing defamation claims were
expected to perform a balancing exercise between
Condamnation justifiée au civil pour diffamation those two rights, in line with the criteria established
en ce qui concerne les propos tenus par l’ex- in the Court’s case-law. Domestic courts might also
président selon lesquels un avocat avait besoin be required to take into account certain additional
de soins psychiatriques pour l’avoir dénoncé dans
criteria: in this case, for example, the applicant’s sta-
une plainte au pénal : non-violation
tus as a politician and as a high-ranking State offi-
Mesić – Croatia/Croatie, 19362/18, Judgment/Arrêt cial, and on the other hand, Mr Jurašinović’s status
5.5.2022 [Section I] as an advocate, might be of importance. Although
the civil courts had recognised that the present
Traduction française du résumé – Printable version case had concerned two conflicting rights, they
Facts – The applicant is a former President of had made no reference to the relevant criteria de-
Croatia. In the context of a criminal complaint veloped in the Court’s case-law, instead examining
filed in France, an advocate of Croatian origin, the case only in terms of civil law. They had accord-
Mr Jurašinović, made comments to the effect that ingly failed to carry out the required balancing
the applicant was an accomplice in the attempted exercise between the competing rights. Similarly,
murder and extortion of his client. The complaint the Constitutional Court had not examined the
and the alleged links to the applicant were subse- case from a constitutional-law perspective but in-
quently published in two newspaper articles. When stead simply declared the applicant’s constitutional
questioned by journalists about those articles, the complaint inadmissible. The Court therefore had to
applicant denied the links, and suggested that carry out the required balancing act itself:
Mr Jurašinović visit a psychiatric hospital when he (a) The notoriety and prior conduct of the person
came to Croatia, where people such as him could concerned – Mr Jurašinović had not been a pub-
receive effective treatment. That statement was re- lic figure before information regarding part of the
ported by a number of Croatian media outlets. content of the criminal complaint had been report-
Subsequently, Mr Jurašinović brought a civil action ed by the Croatian media, nor had he made any
for defamation against the applicant before the public statement regarding the applicant. The al-
Croatian domestic courts, and was awarded com- legation which had provoked the applicant’s state-
pensation for non-pecuniary damage as well as ment had not been made publicly; nor had it been
costs of proceedings. The applicant appealed un- intended for a public readership. Likewise, it could
successfully against that judgment up to the Con- not be said that Mr Jurašinović had knowingly en-
stitutional Court. tered the public sphere.
Law – Article 10: The judgment had constituted an (b) The content and form of the statement and its
interference with the applicant’s right to freedom contribution to a debate of public interest – Contrary
Article 10 11Information Note 262 – May 2022 ◄ ECHR/CEDH ► Note d’information 262 – Mai 2022
to the findings of the domestic civil courts, the present case – was often as effective as a threat in
Court found that the impugned statement had preventing lawyers from exercising their profes-
been a metaphor and constituted a pure value sional duties. Such statements could have serious
judgment, and had not therefore been susceptible consequences for the rights of the accused and
of proof. the right of access to a court, which are essential
components of the right to a fair trial guaranteed
The alleged involvement of a State President in an
by Article 6 § 1.
attempted murder and/or his possible links with
organised crime was undoubtedly a matter of pub- Further, at the time that the impugned statement
lic interest. The applicant had had a right to reply to was made, Mr Jurašinović had been bound by the
such an accusation and to defend himself, which he secrecy of the criminal investigation in France. That
had done. However, he had then gone a step fur- had precluded him from replying and placed him in
ther and attempted to discredit Mr Jurašinović as an even more disadvantageous position vis-à-vis the
a person to be trusted, by an offensive statement applicant, a powerful public figure who, because of
using belittling and impertinent terms. There was his role, had enjoyed great media attention.
nothing to suggest that the applicant could not
(d) Consequences of the statement and the severity
have denied the accusations against him without
of the sanction – The applicant had been ordered
using the impugned language. By personally in-
to pay approximately EUR 6,660 in non-pecuniary
sulting Mr Jurašinović, the applicant had made no
damages. While the size of the award might appear
contribution to a debate on a matter of public in-
substantial, the Court reiterated its findings that:
terest and had gone beyond the limits of accept-
able criticism. – words spoken by high-ranking State officials car-
ried more weight and, consequently, statements
Regarding the form of the statement, the applicant
made by them that were injurious to the reputation
had made it when he had been the State Presi-
of others caused greater harm;
dent and it had been widely distributed by various
media outlets. It had thus been capable of causing – the applicant’s statement, to which Mr Jurašinović
greater harm to the reputation of Mr Jurašinović. had not been in a position to reply, had been wide-
ly distributed by various media outlets; moreover,
(c) The applicant’s status as a high-ranking State of-
ficial and Mr Jurašinović’s status as an advocate – – the applicant’s statement had also been ca-
Regarding high-ranking State officials, on the one pable of having a “chilling” dissuasive effect on
hand, the Court had emphasised freedom of expres- Mr Jurašinović’s exercise of his professional duties
sion. In order to protect their free speech in the exer- as an advocate.
cise of their functions and to maintain the separation
Therefore, the award of damages had been an ap-
of powers of the State, it was acceptable in a demo-
propriate sanction to neutralise the chilling effect
cratic society for States to afford functional immunity
and proportionate to the legitimate aim of protect-
to their heads of State (see Urechean and Pavlicenco
ing the reputation of Mr Jurašinović.
v. the Republic of Moldova). On the other hand, the
Court had also acknowledged that, generally speak- Having regard to all the foregoing considerations,
ing, albeit in different circumstances, words spoken the interference had been “necessary in a demo-
by high-ranking State officials carried more weight cratic society”.
(see, for example, Peša v. Croatia and Ivanovski v. the
Conclusion: no violation (unanimously).
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia).
The Court also held, unanimously, that there had
Meanwhile, the Court had emphasised that lawyers
been a violation of Article 6 § 1, in that the length
play a vital role in the administration of justice and
of the applicant’s appeal proceedings before the
that the free exercise of the profession of a lawyer
domestic courts had been excessive and failed to
is indispensable to the full implementation of the
meet the “reasonable time” requirement.
fundamental right to a fair trial guaranteed by Arti-
cle 6 (see, for example, Morice v. France [GC]). Article 41: EUR 2,000 in respect of non-pecuniary
damage; claim in respect of pecuniary damage dis-
It was also mindful of the occurrence of harass-
missed.
ment, threats and attacks against lawyers in many
Council of Europe member States. In the present (See Peša v. Croatia, 40523/08, 8 April 2010;
case, the statement had not constituted a threat of Urechean and Pavlicenco v. the Republic of Moldova,
involuntary psychiatric confinement. Nonetheless, 27756/05 and 41219/07, 2 December 2014, Legal
high-ranking State officials attacking the reputa- Summary; Ivanovski v. the former Yugoslav Repub-
tion of lawyers and making them objects of deri- lic of Macedonia, 29908/11, 21 January 2016, Legal
sion with a view to isolating them and damaging Summary; Morice v. France [GC], 29369/10, 23 April
their credibility – as the applicant had done in the 2015, Legal Summary)
12 Article 10Information Note 262 – May 2022 ◄ ECHR/CEDH ► Note d’information 262 – Mai 2022
ARTICLE 11 suffered, or had been liable to suffer, any particular
detriment or hardship in terms of their livelihood
or their conditions of employment owing to their
Freedom of association/Liberté inability to join the applicant’s trade union at the
d’association relevant time. They had been free to join the other
Criminal conviction of trade union representative, existing trade union and/or establish their own or
for refusing to admit would-be members to join, to protect their rights through legal proceedings
not necessary in a democratic society: violation concerning the conditions of employment. There
was therefore nothing to suggest that they had
Caractère non nécessaire dans une société been at any individual risk of, or unprotected from,
démocratique de la condamnation pénale d’un possible adverse actions by the employer.
représentant syndical pour rejet de demandes
d’adhésion : violation There was also no indication that the would-be
members had been subject to discriminatory treat-
Vlahov – Croatia/Croatie, 31163/13, Judgment/ ment by the applicant. Nor had any issue arisen as
Arrêt 5.5.2022 [Section I] regards the rules and Statute of the union itself.
Traduction française du résumé – Printable version Rather, a dispute arose over the question whether
the applicant had acted in an abusive and unrea-
Facts – The applicant, a representative of a local sonable manner in breach of the union rules when
branch of the Croatian Customs Officers’ Trade refusing to admit the would-be members. In par-
Union at the relevant time, was criminally con- ticular, the Government had argued that the ap-
victed after he refused the applications of fifteen plicant had acted contrary to the Statute of the
individuals to join the trade union. The applicant relevant trade union when refusing to admit the
appealed against the conviction unsuccessfully. would-be members.
Law – Article 11: The applicant’s criminal conviction There had been no authoritative guidance on how
had amounted to an interference which had been to interpret the trade union internal rules on the ad-
prescribed by law. The Court proceeded on the as- mission of new members, as provided for in its in-
sumption that it had had the aim of protection of ternal regulations. At the same time, the domestic
the rights and freedoms of others, namely the fif- courts’ reasoning had been very succinct and had
teen would-be members, to exercise their right of not elaborated on the considerations related to the
association without undue hindrance. applicant’s compliance with the relevant rules and
The Court therefore had to determine whether the the Statute, seen in the light of the relevant domes-
interference had been necessary in a democratic tic law and the requirements of Article 11.
society. The question that arose in the present case In particular, the Statute had provided no spe-
concerned the extent to which the State could in- cific requirements for the admission of new mem-
tervene to protect the would-be trade union mem- bers. The applicant had eventually, albeit after the
bers from the hindrance of their right to associate, change in the membership of the union, been re-
taking into account the applicant’s rights and those moved from his position of trade union representa-
of the trade union, which he at the relevant time tive by a great majority of the vote of the members.
had represented, to control their membership by However, there had been nothing to suggest at
deciding with whom they wanted to associate. the relevant time that he had not represented the
The trade union in question operated as an inde- interests of the union or of other members of the
pendent and autonomous trade union designed union branch, who had not instituted any action
to protect the employment rights and interests against him under domestic law after he had in-
of customs officers. It had no public powers and formed them of the refusal to admit the would-be
its membership was purely on a voluntary basis. members. Indeed, according to the internal union
Its major source of income was membership fees, regulations and Statute, the applicant’s position
and it received no direct financial support from the had included taking actions to represent the union
State or other public funds. It was also not the only and to protect the interests of its members.
trade union representing customs officers, and Moreover, there had been established procedures
there was no closed shop agreement in that area. allowing the would-be members to eventually join
The particular branch of the union which the ap-
the trade union, and the applicant’s actions had
plicant had represented had been a relatively small
not been intended to deny their admission as such,
organisation comprising some thirty members at
but to delay the decision on extension of member-
the relevant time.
ship until an upcoming ordinary annual assembly
As there was no closed shop agreement, it was not of the union. In that connection, it had not been
apparent that the fifteen would-be members had suggested that the applicant had had institutional
Article 11 13Vous pouvez aussi lire
